Bored
by katrin87
Summary: Short was written in response to a challenge on another board. Steph and Ranger are on a rather unusual stakeout...


Don't own them, don't make any money...

Ranger and I had been sitting in this car for 3 hours now, doing surveillance, but nobody ever showed up. I was bored to death and freezing, the several layers of clothing I had done at 10pm before Ranger had picked me up doing nothing to keep me warm.

I didn't think I could sit quietly for another minute, while Ranger was in his usual zone, sitting like a stone, doing nothing.

"So, tell me again why we're sitting here?!"

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me. Why are we waiting for Les here?" We were at the harbor, keeping an eye on the yachts and waiting for him to show up. He was supposed to have gone out on a date tonight, a serious date I might add, and it was rumored that he would take the lady to his boat. Yep, Les didn't have a house like normal people, he had a boat to live in when he wasn't staying at one of the RangeMan apartments.

"I already told you." He was slightly annoyed with me but I was having none of it. I just couldn't stand it any longer to sit in silence next to a stone.

"Tell me again. I'm bored."

"Babe. He went on a serious date, he's gonna show her his boat. Lester. Serious about a woman. Don't you get that that's not normal for Les? We haven't met her, nobody of us have. We want to know what's up with her. He hasn't even bragged about her at the office like he usually does."

Okay, that seemed to be off for Lester, but I didn't get why he was making such a big deal out of it. I mean, come on, we had been sitting there for three hours now.

"Why did you bring me along and not one of the guys?"

"Shorthanded."

"Why is it so important? Why can't you just wait for him to introduce her to you guys? Maybe he just wants to enjoy some peace and quiet with her before you all start in on him? You know how the guys at the office can get."

"Feeling." Ungh, why couldn't he talk in more than two word sentences?

"You've got to say a little bit more than 'Feeling' for me to understand you. It's freaking 1am, I'm bored and tired so my brain isn't that fast. Good feeling? Bad Feeling?"

"Something feels off, but I can't place if it's a good or a bad feeling. That's what has me worried." He said it dismissively, so I knew any further questions would bring me nothing than a stern look.

I settled back in to wait for them to come back. I rooted through my purse, hoping to find a snicker or something, anything to tide me over until I had access to my fridge again. I'd already eaten two bags of cheerios and several TastyKakes, along with three cans of coke to keep me awake. I know, it's unhealthy, but I was a stress and boredom eater, always had been.

"Babe."

"What? I'm bored."

"That stuff will kill you."

"You know, if you had asked Ella to provide us with healthy snacks I'd have eaten them instead of all the junk food. You know that I can't decline Ella's food."

"Babe."

"I'm bored."

"You already mentioned that."

"Do something against it." Oops, that sounded like a challenge I wasn't sure I wanted to give him.

Before I could blink he had hauled me over the console and settled me in his lap, kissing me furiously. Okay, I have to admit it was a good way to shut me up, but out of the corner of my eye I saw movement.

I tried to pull back out of the kiss, but Ranger was having none of it.

"Les." I tried to say, but his lips and tongue battling with mine made it difficult, may mental state not helping either.

I tried again. "They're here."

"What?" He had pulled back a little, breaking the kiss.

"They're here."

Ranger looked up and apparently saw them, because in the blink of an eye I was grabbed around the waist and dumped me in my seat unceremoniously. I took the binoculars up to watch them approach. Ranger was already watching them. When they came closer I could identify Lester, but the woman with him was slightly familiar. I knew I had never met her in person, but her face called to me. Only problem was, I had no idea why it was familiar.

I was still thinking about it when suddenly Ranger started laughing beside me. Yep, he was full out laughing. On a stake out. Okay, so stranger things have happened on this planet, but that was really out of character for Ranger.

"Uh, what are you laughing about?" I was sure I must have made a funny face, but he didn't even acknowledge me. Ranger had put the binoculars on his lap and was doubled up, clutching his side.

"Damnit. Tell me the fuck what's got you laughing so hard."

It took him a few moments but he finally managed.

"He's dating Tank's baby sister." He said still chuckling.

"What? Tank has a sister?"

"Yep, a little one at that. And he's really protective of her. No wonder Santos didn't tell us who he was dating. Tank would have ripped him a new one." I still didn't understand what was so funny about that.

"And you're laughing why?" I was trying to raise an eyebrow at him, but from the look on his face I knew that I was failing.

"Tank knew that she's been dating a guy for some time now, but she never told him who it was." Great, this stakeout would end in a revolution around RangeMan, probably with the death of at least one Merry Men.

"What are you gonna do about what we found out tonight?" I had to know. I couldn't just walk in on Wednesday, not knowing what would await me.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Hey, I could do the one word thing as well.

"Yep. We were here to check that his date wasn't a threat to him or RangeMan. She isn't, so we'll leave them alone." They had made it out of sight during our discussion, probably on to more entertaining things than sitting in a SUV.

"That's it?"

"Yep. So what did you plan for the rest of the night?"

The look in his eyes told me I was in for some rather _entertaining_ things.

Please let me know what you think.


End file.
